With the NDP electing Jagmeet Singh as their new leader we have seen the stage set for an interesting federal election in 2019. In a way it is the passing of the political torch from the baby boomers to the younger generation.

Not only is Singh a match for Justin Trudeau on the charismatic meter, but he is also a smarter politician. Up until now Trudeau has pretty much had things his way with media coverage, especially that of the younger generation of reporters. Now he has competition. This will be interesting to watch as we move towards 2019.

The issue for the Conservatives will be how to garner media attention when the focus will be on the other two showboats. How will the Conservatives make dull and low key the alternative? This is not to say that they can’t. The Conservatives can present policies that are attractive and reflect what the voters want. They can be the opposite of the “spend my tax dollars” Liberals and NDP, but it will be a lot of work.

In the past the Conservatives have always benefited from a strong NDP, stealing votes from the Liberals. My attack team was often told to leave the NDP alone even when we had a good issue, and that included when in the election war room. During elections we could respond to individual riding requests, but there was no concerted effort to go after their national campaign or leader.

For the next week or so it will be all about Jagmeet Singh, the new kid on the block. After that things will level off and it will be back to the trenches for all three political leaders. The election in 2019 is still a long way away.

Reader Comments (2)

"... the focus will be on the other two showboats"How right you are! Scheer will not be able to outshine them, neither by wearing a colourful hat or snazzy socks, so focus on policies that benefit the majority of Canadians.

My two cents' worth of advice for the CPC:- Lay off the personal attacks. People are in a touchy-feely sensitive mood, so no remark whatsoever of a personal nature will be overlooked by the media. They will use it to reinforce the notion of how mean spirited C/conservatives are.

- Strike instead with FACTUAL attacks on policy, not necessarily with loads of detail. Remember: the average voter's attention span is extremely short.- Occasionally remind voters that policies the Liberals so proudly appropriated as their own originated with previous Conservative governments, even as far back as Diefenbaker's Bill of Rights, voting rights for women (Borden) & Indigenous (Dief), FTA & GST (Mulroney), current child benefits & sundry trade deals, particularly CETA (Harper). Mind you, millennials tend to think history began with their birth (I'm paraphrasing a radio personality in my neck of the woods), so that might be counterproductive.

- Finally, impress upon caucus members that anything they say in any medium will receive triple the scrutiny devoted to similar statements made by members of other parties. So lay off the personal attacks. HOWEVER, on matters of important issues, MPs & senators should be able to express a POV that does not conform to the so-called "progressive" world-view.

Case in point: IMO, Senator Lynn Beyak has unjustifiably been removed from committees and practically ostracized for saying something similar to past Liberal policy (White Paper on Indian Act). Rather than Andrew Scheer being called upon to apologize for opinions she expressed, Mr. Scheer should have emphasized the fact Conservative senators, contrary to the media's belief, are not "trained seals" repeating OLO talking points. Senators & MPs, for that matter, have opinions & are free to express those views -- as long as they do not contravene current laws.

Admittedly, MPs & senators have to walk a fine line in that they cannot stray too far afield from official Conservative policies ... but OTOH none of the divergent opinions should be construed as representative of the CPC's position. IMO, Andrew Scheer should NOT have been asked to apologize for something inoffensive said by Senator Beyak nor forced to do so for a mildly offensive epithet borrowed from "The Rebel" by MP Ritz. Every individual should be held responsible for his/her own words & actions. After all. isn't individual responsibility a conservative principle?